The House of the Seven Magpies
by Jusairugoddess
Summary: One for Sorrow,Two for Joy, Three for a girl,Four for a boy,Five for Silver,Six for gold, and SEven for a secret...never to be told...this rhyme has haunted Raven's whole life, can she break free of it's hold?
1. Chapter 1

The House of the Seven Magpies

Summary: One for Sorrow,  
Two for Joy,  
Three for a girl,  
Four for a boy,  
Five for silver,  
Six for gold,  
And Seven for a Secret... Never to be told. This is the rhyme that haunted young Raven's life...

Disclaimer:I do not own Teen Titans or Seven for a Secret by Victoria Holt.

Note: This is a Teen Tians Remake of the book Seven for a Secret Written by Victoria Holt. If you like this you should really read the orginal, it's really good. The Story is in Raven's point of view.


	2. Spring BLossoms

Spring Blossoms:

It was very soon after I had come to live with my Aunt Sarasim that I became very well acquainted with the strange sisters,Kori and Sora Sanders. After what I discovered I forever more called their cottage, The House of the Seven Magpies.  
Sometimes I wonder what life I would have led if not for the trouble over the decoration of the church for the Spring Banquet so long ago. But maybe that is not completely true and it was not exactly due to the flowers,they had just brought it to a head.  
Aunt Sarasim had been a rare visitor to out house until then,and never was there mentioned the gap that had grown between herself and my mother. She lived in Gotham which was quite a long journey by train to Jump City. I think she did not feel it was worth the trouble to come and my mother certainly thought that such a journey was to arduous for herself, especailly when she knew that the result would be a none-too-felicitous meeting with Aunt Sarasim.

So in my early childhood, Aunt Sarasim was just a shady figure that was mentioned rarely. My mother and Aunt Sarasim, though sisters were as unlike each other as any two people could be.

My mother was tall and slim and beautiful too; her features looked as if they had been carved out of marble. Her eyes were deep blue, almost violet and could be quite icy at times, her eyelashes were long,dark, and thick, and her eyebrows were perfectly marked Her fine violet hair was always neatly coiled about her head. She was frequently letting everyone know,(even those in the household who were all very aware of it) that she hadn't been brought up as she was currently lived now and it was only because of "circumstances"  
that we had to live as we did Aunt Sarasim was the eldest sister of the two. I believe that it was two years that seperated them. She was of medium height and a little on the plump side which made her appear a tad smaller. She had a round dark face and huge brown eyes that almost completely disappeared when she laughed. Her laugh was a rather loud one and as she put it, "grated" on my mother's nerves.

It was a small wonder they kept apart. And when the rare occaisons when my mother spoke of her came up, she in-  
variably announced that it was astounding they had been brought up together.  
My mother,myself, and our two maids Mel and Allison, lived in what was called "genteel poverty" Mel was a relic from the "better days", and Allison was in her early teens, a Middlemore girl, and was from one of the cottages on the other side of the Common.  
My mother was much to occupied in keeping up appearances. She had been brought up in Wanye Manor and I always thought that it was unfortunate that the mansion could be viewed from the window. There it stood in all it's grandeur, which seemed so much greater compared to out quiant, Lavender House, in which we humbly resided. Wayne Manor was the house in Jump City. Church fetes were held on it's lawn and one of it's room's was always made available for meetings; Carol singers assembled in the courtyard every Christmas Eve for wine and mince pies after they gave their performance. In the house were many servants. It dominated our village. My mother had suffered two tradegies in her life so far. Not only had she lost her old home, that had to be sold after her father died and the extent of his debts were dicovered, it had been bought by the Cook's, who had struck it rich sellind sweets and tobacco to every city in California. The were despised by the community for two reasons: They were rich and they were vulgar.

Every time she would look at the manor, my mother's lips would tighten and her whole face would harden. The deep resentment she felt was clearly obvious. We were all accustomed to this lament, it dominated our lives as much as it did hers.  
Mel once said,"IT would be better if we'd go away, lookin at the old place isn't going to do alot of good"  
One day afterwards I had commented to my mother,"Why don't we move away? Some place where you won't have to look at it all of the time"  
A look of abject horror came to settle on her face and as young as I was, I knew that she wanted to be here, that she couldn't bear not to be.  
I didn't understand then, but I did later, she wanted to be miserable and resenting, she enjoyed it.  
She wanted to continue as she had when she at Wayne Manor. She liked to be a part in church matters, taking a lead part in organizing bazaars and those sort of things. It piqued her that the summer fete could not be held on her lawn.  
Mel had laughed at that and commentes to Allison,"What?! On six feet of grass? Don't make me laugh"  
There was a governess for me. My mother said that in our postition, it was nessacary,for she could not afford to send me away to school and going to the village school was out of the question.That left only one choice,so the governesses came. Most did not stay long,  
the references to past grandeur did not make up for the lack of it in Lavender House.Mel told me that it had been 'cottage' before we had come.  
"Yes for years it was Lavender Cottage, and painting 'House' over 'Cottage' didn't do anything but that.

My mother was not a very communitive person and although I had heard a lot of the past glories of the Manor,I did not hear much of the subject that held my interest the most : My father.  
When I asked her about my father,my mother's lips would tighten and she would seem like a statue than ever before,  
just as she looked when she spoke of Wayne Manor and their residents. She would say,"You have no father...now"  
There was something important about the 'now' and her pause in speaking before she spoke it, so I protested,"But I had once!" "Don't be absurd,Raven! Of course, everyone had a father once!" she would reply. "Did he die?" I asked "I have told you, you have no father now. That is the end of the matter"  
After that I knew that there had to be a secret about him. I could not remember him, I didn't even remember living outside of this house! The Common,the village, the church, and all in the shadow of the Wayne Manor, it was my life. I had spent a lot of time in the kitchens woth Mel and Allison, they were my greatest friends since I was not permitted to get aqquainted with the villagers and because of my mother, our household was distantly polite to the Cooks at Wayne Manor. I soon learned that my mother was a very unhappy person.  
Mel used to talk to me a great deal now that I was getting older. And although I was Miss Raven in my mother's stern presence, Mel had a habit of shortening names so I was just plain 'Miss Rae' when I was alone with her. Mel had said once,"This life, is no life at all, you can't make something grander by changing it's name. Lavender House, my foot! We all know that it use to be Lavender Cottage! A spade's a spade no matter what name you give it, I'll tell you what! I reckon we'd be better off in an old house in Steel City...there'd be quite a life up there, too."

Mel's eyes were cloudy with longing. She had been raised in Steel City and was proud of it, too. "A bit of life there is up there, Miss Rae. Saturday night in the markets with the flares on the stalls. We had cockles and mussels and winkles and whelks and jellied eels, too. And what is here? You tell me that." "There's the fetes and choral society." "Don't make me laugh! It's all a bunch of stuck-up snobs pretending to be what there not! Give me Steel City!" Mel loved to talk of her old city. The horse buggies that would take you where ever you wanted, she'd beeb up there at Jubilee time.  
That was something! Only a nipper she was then, before she'd an idiot and settled for a job in the country...That was before she'd come to Wayne Manor. She'd even seen the Queen in her carriage. Not much to look at but a Queen was a Queen-and she'd let you know it,too.  
"Yes we could have lived up there instead of down here. A nice place, you could have gotten something there dirt cheap. But we had to come here, Lavender House." When Mel was longing for Steel City she could enlighten me considerably. "You've been with my maother a long time,Mel." I said "All of fifteen years." "And you would have known my father." "He was a one!" she stated, then laughed. "What sort of one?" I asked. "Well, never you mind!" Her lips turned at the corner and I could see that she was amused. It must have been from the memories of my father. "I could have told her, I could"  
"What could you have told?" "That it couldn't of lasted. I said to the cook, we had a cook in those days- a bit of a tarter she was and I was a kitchen maid,  
nothing much, that was me. I said to her 'That won't work' and I was right!" "I don't remember him"  
"You couldn't have been more than a year old when he left." "Where did he go"  
"With her I supposed I guess, the other one." "Don't you think it's time I knew?" "I reckon you'll know when it's time." "Do you know that I'm nearly therteen years old?" I said "Of course I know"  
"I reckon I'm old enough." "You've got a sharp head on your shoulders you do, Miss Raven." I knew that Mel had a soft spot for me, once she haid called me a, 'poor little mite'  
when talking to Allison. "I still want to know about my father." I told Mel, "Well he was a looker, a handsome pair him and your mum made. I'll say that for'em. They use to go to parties and fancy things like that, your mum hadn't had the dour look she has now they'd look a picture they would." "Regimental balls?" I prompted. "Well he was a soldier wan't he? The Cook used to say that he was high up in the army like general or major...something like that. But he had what they call the roving eye." She responded.  
"What's that?" I asked, "Well, he liked to look around." She answered "At what?" She gave me a slight push that indicated that she wasn't going to follow that line of speach. I said quickly,"What happened to him?  
Did he go to war?" "There wasn't a war then,was there? So he couldn't go to one. We moved around a bit though, once you got settled in they was whisking you off again to do your duty someplace else." "And you went with them?" "Oh yes I was with your mum before she was married. I can still see her coming out of the church, it wasn't Reverend Moth then. Now who was it?" "Never mind, what happened?" I asked eager for her to continue. "They were off on there Honeymoon, up where th regimant quarters was. They'd been up there nought but three months when your Grandfather died. Then we had all of that mess about selling Wayne Manor and the Cook's moving up there. Then I could see that he wasn't a man for marriage, not the one for married life was he. There was someone"  
"You mean after the marriage to my mother?" I said,"It don't matter to some, he couldn't help it seemed." This was getting very interesting and I afraid that something would happen to break the flow of information. That maybe she would realize my age and think she was talking to much. "You were on the way and your mother couldn't go dancing around like she did, now could she?" "And then?" I questioned, "He still kept it up. You were born but it still wasn't right. There were these rumours...but your mum didn't want to do anything about it. She was big on keeping up appearances." She continued. "What do you mean"  
"Well she knew about this other woman. She was a happy woman she was. Kind of a flirt. I guess that suited him. But she had a husband. One night he caught' em... in the act you could say. Well then that was a regular scandal it was. Your mum got a divorce and in time I think he married the other one. Your mum never got over that, if the Manor hadn't been sold she could've gone there and it probably wouldn't be so bad. But there was not much left after the debts had been paided from the sale. They split what they had left, her and Miss Sarasim. Your aunt bought that house of hers and your mum bought this. She got something from your father.  
well you see how it is now." She finished. "He's still alive?" I asked, "Alive and kicking I'd guess. Your mum never got over it. She doesn't talk about it. If she had only gone back to the Manor. Now, don't speak a word of this. You wanted to know about your father and everyone has a right to know who they are." She demanded. "I wonder I will ever see him..." You wondered aloud. She shook her head,"He won't ever come here. But I tell you what, a nicer gentleman you could not find. That's how it is with some people, they seem perfect but they just don't fit. Then there's the partin' of ways and here we are now in Lavender Cottage, er- House"  
Now having told me so much Mel was finding it hard to stop. Whenever I could escape my governess I would find her. She wasn't really averse though, she loved to gossip. From her gossip I learned that she wished to be a big with tons of servants, like her sister in Steelcity. "There's a butler, housekeeper, kitchen maids, parlour maids...all kinds of maids, they got the whole lot. They've got a carriage so they have stables and what not. There's a lot going on in places like that. Then here, it's not one thing or another." She described. "Why do you stay here Mel?" I wondered aloud. "They say that you can jump out of the frying pan into the fire..." "So this is the frying pan!" "You could call it that"  
"Tell me about my father"  
I've told you didn't I? I guessed it was your time to know. Your mum will tell you in time, don't you go whispering a word of this you hear? She'll tell you her side probably. I reckon he had something to put up with,too. There's always two faces to a question. He was always someone for a bit of fun. The servants liked him. He was a jolly one"  
"You seem to be on his side"  
"You can't really help it. He was probably provoked in a way. The other woman and all. And your mum being what she is and he being what he is"  
While I was talking to Mel once my mother came into the kitchens. She was surprised to see me there. "Mel," she said, "I'd like to discuss tonights dinner plans with you." She finished. Mel rolled her eyes to the ceiling and I got out. There had been Sirloin Beef, so of course we would have cold beef tonight. But my mother always wanted to discuss the dinner plan's with Mel. She would have loved to send for her, but there was only me and Allison. Having Allison send for Mel would mean that she would have to stop whatever task she was doing and she was rather slow anyways. And sending for me was not right because I was her daughter and would be taken away from my studies. There were no bells in the house so that was a little inconvient. And setting a time wou;d not work because Mel was always being rushed off her feet for something or another nd couldn't be tied down for dinner plans.  
So there was no other alternative but for my mother to come and find Mel in the kitchen. I wondered again if it could be possible to explain to my mother that it was impossible to act as the Lady of a large establishment when Lavender House was far from that. And then I thought of the words of Robert Burns"  
O was some pow'r the giftie gie us To see ourselves as others see us. What a gift that would be, and especailly one to my mother. If she did have it maybe her husband, my father, wouldn't have left her and I would know and have a father. I pictured him as a merry man with sparkling eyes that aroused a response in people like Mel. On one occasion I had seen Mel preening herself when she was mentioning my father. It was like when she was with Mr. Burns,  
the butcher, he was jaunty and made crude remarks but made his customers, mostly woman, laugh. And my father was that sort of man who could make her look as she did with the butcher, I thought that was significant and it controlled my thoughts now and then.

I was on my way to the vicarage with a note to the Reverend, John Mathews, from my mother. She usually communicated this way when she was angry. It was about the flower arrangements for the church. Last year she complained that they were a great dissapointment. Mrs. Cook amd Mrs.Adams really had no idea.  
What better could you get from a jumped-up shopkeeper that made her fortune from selling sweets and tobacco? Her display had been a abosolute dissapointment.  
And Mrs.Adams was just a poor simpering creature who clearly acted as Mrs. Cook's puppet. It was absurd when my mother had past experiences from living in the Wayne Manor!  
I knew that my mother would suffer smally about this, it was of no matter what-so-ever, it was just an affront to her diginity and that was of upmost imortance to her. She had worked herself in a rage trying to write a good version of her idea. She had written several versions to the Reverend.  
It was the type of thing that made my mother so tense that every little detail had to be perfect in her eyes or else it was a loss of dignity.

It was a nice spring day and as I passed the Common I saw two old men whom I knew by sight sitting on the bench by the pond.  
They had been two farm workers who were now to old and feeble to work and had nothing better to do but sit and talk.  
As I passed I called a,"Good Morning!" to them. I turned into the street that led to the vicarage The country was beautiful in all it's bloom. What a tremendous difference from Mel's markets woth their jellied eels. That made me laugh, my mother, wanting all her granduer, and Mel longing for her Steel City markets! I suppose people are inclined to want what they don't have.  
Then there was the vicarage, a long brick building with a lovely garden in the front and the graveyard that stretched way back into the back. The vicar let me into an untidy sitting room with mullion windows that over-looked the graveyard. He was sitting at a paper-littered desk. "Ah Miss Roth" He stated as he pushed up his glasses to his forehead. He was a demure man and I could already see that apprehension in his watery brown eyes.  
He was a man of peace and was alread worring that the news from my household would threaten that state. His fears were confirmed when I told him that I had a note from my mother. I held it out to him, "I think there is a reply to come." I said gently.  
"Oh of course...yes of course." He pulled his spectacles down towards his nose and slightly turned so I should not see his reaction to the letter. "Oh dear, dear." He exclaimed softly after he finished, his eyes full of consertnation, "You see it is regarding the flowering arrangements and naturally the Cook's have provided them"  
"Of course." I said,  
"And she has..er... already asked Mrs. Adams to help and I believe that she has already agreed to do so, so you see"  
"Oh, yes of course I understand completely"  
He smiled at me gratefully, "And so...if you can convey my...er...apologies to your mother and explain the matters that are.  
in my hands, I think there is no need to write." He finished. Nowing my mother as I did I really felt sorry for him. "I will explain."I said, "Oh thank you Miss Roth, if you will send my regrets..." "I will."I promised. I came out of the vicarage and took my time coming home. I knew as soon as my mother heard the knews that there would be a storm. I really felt impatient, they were flowers! What did it matter who did the arrangements? Why did she have to care so much? It was that eternal nonsense. When she lived in Wayne Manor she would have provided the flowers and picked who helped to arrange them and then arrange them to her liking. She would have decided whether they decorated the pulpit or the altar. It was all so trival! I felt both angry at and sorry for my mother. So I loitered trying to figure out how I should break the news to her. When I finally arrived back she was waiting for me, "You've been a long time, have you gotten his reply"  
"There wasn't any reason to write."I told her, then I said has already provided the flowera and Mrs.Adams is already helping because she had already been asked"  
She stared at me as though I had just announced some horrible disaster,"No!" she cried.  
"I am afraid that is what he said. He sends his regrets and is very sorry that you are upset"  
"Oh how dare he! How dare he!" She seethed.  
"Well you see, Mrs. Cook already provided the flowers and he couldn't really do anything but let her arrange the flowers." I explained.  
"That horrible woman"  
"It is not the vicars fault"  
"Not his fault?!" Her usual pale face was covered in shades of purple and she was shaking and quivering all over.  
"Really Mama," I said,"It is just an arrangement of flowers!What does it matter"  
She had closed her eyes. I could she her pulse beating fast in her forehead. Then suddenly she gasped and swayed.  
I rushed to her and caught her before she would have hit the floor. I noticed that there was a bit a froth on her lips.  
I wanted to scream, this is crazy! This is ridiculous! But then I was frightened. This had to be something more than rage.  
It was good luck that there was a nice easychair nearby, I eased her into it and called for Mel.  
Mel, myself and Allison got my mother in bed. The doctor came and Mel directed him to my mother and I stood nearby on the stairs listening. My governess, Miss Egnew, came out and saw me there. "What is it"  
"My mother has taken ill." She tried to look sympathetic, but did not do it very good. She was another that was only staying here until she found something better. She went with me to the sitting-room to wait for the doctors departure. Then I heard him come down and say,"I'll come and check on her in the afternoon.Then we'll see." Mel thanked him and then she came into the sitting room where I and Miss Egnew were waiting.  
She lookes at me anxiously, I knew the concern was more for me than my mother.  
"What happened?"Miss Egnew asked.  
"He says that it is a seizure...a stroke"  
"What's that?" I asked.  
It's very bad.But we don't know anything yet. The doctor's coming back and then we'll see"  
"How horrible! Is she...uh?" Miss Egnew asked. "The doctor doesn't seem to be sure...she's pretty bad, but he's coming back"  
"Will she be okay by herself?"I asked. "The doctor gave her something, a sedative or something. He's coming back in the morning, bringing a young doctor with him I think. She won't know about it yet." Mel answered.  
"She must really be sick!" I said,"It sounds terrible." Mel looked at me ruefully and said,"I think she really must be"  
"Well if there...er...isn't anything I can do..." Miss Egnew mumbled, then she turned and left abruptly.  
She wasn't really worried, she had even gotton something in the mail today. I guessed it was about a post. Something that probably suited her expectations better than educating a girl in a cottage. Employed by a woman who acted like a Lady of the Granduer but had no means of it. I was glad when she went, at least Mel really cared. "What does this all mean?" I asked.  
"I have no idea, love...your guess is as good as any. I reckon she's pretty ill. My Aunt Jo Anne had a stroke like that.  
Couldn't move anything at all on one side. She couldn't talk either, only babble like a baby. She was like that for a year,she was"  
"Oh no...no"  
"And sometimes they don't recover. It can happen to any one at any time. You might be doing what you do every day and then suddenly the Lord sees fit to strike you down"  
I wasn't listening anymore, I just kept thinking of my mother. Dignified, so proud of her breeding...and yet so angry and bitter about her turn of events. Then I was filled with pity for her. Then I understood her more than I ever had and I so wanted to tell her that I did. A terrible fear came over that I should never be able to tell her, and then anger surged through me. This was all because of those stupid Easter flowers! It was her anger that had done this to her. Oh no! It was more than the flowers! It had been growing inside of her and the flowers had just brought it all to a climax, a climax of all the years of envy and pent-up rage against her fate. When the doctor came he brought another, younger doctor with him.They were with my mother a very long time.  
Mel was with them and after awhile they all came down to the sitting-room and sent for me. The doctor looked at me in such a way that made me fear the most. "Your mother is very sick," he said,"There's a possiblility that she will recover, but if she does,  
she will be very handicapped and will need to be looked after." He looked at me ruefully and then turned hopefully to Mel. "We will wait a few days, alot could happen then. Is there a relative?" he asked. "I have an Aunt." I informed him,"My mother's sister." His face brightened,"Is she very far away"  
"She lives in Gotham"  
"I think you should get ahold of her and let her know the circimstances immediately"  
I nodded. "Well then," he said,"We'll wait and see...about the end of the week. This matter should be largely clarified by then." The young doctor smiled at me encouragingly and the doctor laid a hand on my shoulder and patted me soothingly.  
I was to bewildered to cry, but it was close. "Let's hope for the best." He said turning to Mel,"And in the meantime let's hope your Aunt can come as soon as possible, there's nothing much more I can really do. If there are any promblems let me know.  
I'll look in tomorrow"  
After they had gone, Mel I looked at each other in silence. We were both wondering what was going to happen to us.

At the end of the week Aunt Sarasim arrived. I was so happy to see her that I flung myself in her arms. She hugged me back tightly and I could see that her huge brown eyes were slightly moist and creased up with emotion. "My dear child," she said," What a to-do this has become. We'll have to see what is to be done about this. Your poor mother." She shook her head.  
I said," Here's Mel." "Hello Mel, this must be a great shock to you all. Nevermind, we'll figure something out"  
"Would you like a room prepared for you, Miss Sarasim?" Mel asked. "That sounds good. Just dump this old bag. Whew! What a journey!" "Then I will expect you will want to see Mrs. Roth"  
"That sounds like a good idea. How is she"  
"She don't know much about anything. She might not recognise you, Miss." "Well, I'll go and wash my hands. Dirty things, trains are. Then we'll go to work. Come with me Raven"  
We went to the room that Mel had prepared for Aunt Sarasim days before her arrival, then left us alone together.  
"There's a good woman, that one." sais Aunt Sarasim, nodding towards the door that Mel had just departed through. "Oh yes!" I agreed.  
"It has to be a great worry for her. We'll have to see what can be done for her. What did the doctor say?" she asked. "He doesn't think that mother has a good chance at her recovering completely. They think that she will need someone to look after her." She nodded. "Well, I'm here now." She smiled at me sadly. "Poor dear...such young shoulders. You must be... how old?" "Thirteen." I reminded her. "Hmmm." she murmered. Amy brought up hot water and Aunt Sarasim washed her hands. Then she looked out the window and grimanced,"The old home-  
stead," she said," And she had that in her view all this time?!" I nodded,"It used to upset her." "I know. A pity she couldn't get away from it." "She didn't want to." "Yes, I know my sister. Oh well, too late now." She turned to me with a tender smile. "Thirteen. It's too young for such a burden.  
You ought to be enjoying yourself. Only young once!" I discovered that it was a feature of hers to speak in jerks, and her thoughts went off at a tangent. "Nevermind," she continued. "What's done is done. You've got to go on. Don't you fret. Old Aunt Sarasim will find a way. Mel's been with you a long time"  
"Always." I told her. She nodded towards the window."She was with us over there.Good woman. Not many of them about these days"  
I took her to see my mother, who, I was sure, wouldn't recognise her. It was almost unbearable to see her. Her eyes stared vacantly before her; her lips moved. I imagined that she was trying to tell us something but neither my Aunt or myself could understand the mumbling that came from her lips. We didn't stay long with her. There was no point.  
"Poor Arella," said Aunt Sarasim."To think she has come to that. I hope she doesn't realize it. It would distress her greatly." Then she turned to me and put an arm round me,"Don't worry, dear. We'll do something." I felt a great deal better ever since Aunt Sarasim had come. When the doctor came he was delighted to see her there, and after he had examined my mother he had a long talk with her. When he left, Aunt Sarasim took mr to her room and then explained my position to me. "I know that you are very young," she said, "but sometimes these things are just thrust upon us...no matter how old we are, they just happen. Now I am going to be very frank. Your mother is very ill. She needs expert attention. Mel's a good woman and a strong one but she couldn't manage it on her own. I've been thinking a lot about this. Now, we could have a nurse to live here. That wouldn't be easy. She would have to be fed and looked after. There is another alternative. Your mother could go in a nursing home where she would have very good care. There is one close to where I live. I believe we could get her in there."

"Would it cost a great deal?" I asked. "Ah,there is a shrewd head on those shoulders, I see." Then Aunt Sarasim laughed-the laugh that had grated on my mother's nerves, but it was soothing music to me. This was the first time I had heard since her arrivla here. "Yes. my dear, it would cost. Indeed it would. I do not live in such straitened circomstances as your mother. I have a small little house and one servant- my good and faithful Lily. I do not have to keep up appearances. I am content in my tiny house.  
We have a big garden and we grow our own vegetables. Compared with your mother- though we got a similar income, for we shared what was left of our poor father's estate- I live in relative comfort. Not rich enough to support you mother in a nursing home, I fear. But I have a plan." She looked at me with great tenderness. "I have always had a soft spot for you, Raven. What a dignified name that is!  
Of course that is just what your Mother would name you. I always call you Rae to myself." I said,"It sounds...friendly." And I was thinking I wish that she will never go away. I wanted to cling to her, to beg her stay. She brought the hope that everything was not as bad as it seemed. "All right," she went on. "Rae it is. Now listen. You're thirteen. You can't live here on your own. "I'm going to suggest that...if you like the idea. . . . that you come and stay with me. Isn't much a choice, I fear"  
I smiled at her weakly. "Well I'm not so bad and I've got a notion that we'd get along." I said,"What about. . . . "  
"I'm coming to that." she interrupted,"It's a bit of a upheaval. Mel and the young girl. They'll have to look for other places. The house can be sold. The proceeds would pay for your mother's care. . . .and with the little income she has, we might get by. You come with me. Frankly, Rae, I can't see any other way. I've talked with the doctor. He thinks that it's a good idea. Well...not only a good idea but the only sensible one we have." I couldn't speak. I felt as if my whole life were breaking about me. Aunt Sarasim was watching me intently. Then she said,"I had an idea that you wouldn't find it too bad. Lily can be a bit shrill sometimes, but she means well. She's one of the best and I'm not too bad. I've always liked young people." I found myself clinging to her. "There, there." she soothed. We explained the situation to Mel, she said,"It will be hard after all these years, but she's right. It 's the only thing. I couldn't manage the first one and I couldn't stand a nurse in the house. They can be demanding want this or that, not only for the patient but for themselves. THe worst part will be parting with you, Miss Rae." "You'll have to find another post"  
"I've already written to my sister back in Steel City. There's a big house up there and their always wanting more staff. I don't know what it'll be, but anything will do for now. I've always wanted to work in a house like that. Well I started in the Manor, didn't I? I mentioned it to Allison, there's maybe something for her up there too"  
"Oh, I shall miss you Mel!" I cried.  
"I'll miss you too, love. But life's like that, changing all the time. You'll be fine with Miss Sarasim, I reckon. I remember her from the old days, a bit of a caution she was. Hoyden sometimes, but her heart's in the right place. It will be a bit more lively with her in the house than it was with your mum"  
"I do hope everything will turn out okay"  
"I will be. As soon as she come here, she seemed to throw a light an a dark subject, as they say. We've got to face the truth, your mums not gonna get any better. She's got to have proper care and she'll get it in the place she's going. You can go and see her often.  
It couldn't be better. Trust Miss Sarasim, she was always one for getting things done"  
Sure enough, the house was up for sale. The housse was pleasant and there were a lot of prospective buyers, and Aunt Sarasim was practical in the extreme. She said that the servants could stay until they found posts. They would not be turned out.  
There was good luck in the direction. Mel's sister wrote back to say that was a place for Mel. It was only housemaid, but it was a start and it would give her a chance to ' work her way up'. There wasn't anything for Allison, but there were many big houses in the area and the servants were very friendly with each other, she had heard that a tweeny was wanted in one one of them. She would give a recommendation,  
and they went a long way. We were very optimistic and out hopes were not dissapointed. It was as though Aunt Sarasim were a fairy grandmother and had waved a magic wand. I sid to her one day,"What of my father?" Ger expression changed, It was what I could only call watchful,"What of him?" she said rather sharply. "Should he be told?" She was thoughtful for a moment and then shook her head. "After all," I pointed out,"he is her husband. . . . and my father." "Well all that was finished, you know. They are divorced." "Yes, but he is still that, isn't he? He is at least my father." "It was all along time ago." "It must ahve been twelve years." "He will have a new life now." "With a new family?" "Perhaps"  
"So you think he wouldn't be interested in me"  
She was smiling, her face was soft and tender. I said,"You liked him, didn't you"  
Most people did. Of course, he was not very serious. . . . ever"  
I waited for her to go on, but she didn't, so I said,"Do you think he ought be told? Or do you think he wouldn't want to be reminded of us"  
"It would be uncomfortable. . . .when people divorce they sometimes become enemies. He was the sort that didn't like trouble,  
he turned from it. No, dear, let's forget all that. You're coming back with me"  
I was thoughtful, wondering about him. Aunt Sarasim put her hand over mine. "They say 'Let the sleeping dogs lie.' " she said.  
"I have heard that." "Well if you wake them up, their can be a lot of barking and sometimed unpleasantness. Let's go back to Gotham.  
See how you like it there. You'll have to go to school or something. There is your education isn't there? These things are important.  
You and I have alot of decisions to come to. We don't ant to burden are selfs with what was before. We have to go marching on.  
That was your mother's problem. Looking back all the time. It's no good. I've a notion that we'll get along well together"  
"Oh, yes, Aunr Sarasim! I don't know what to say to you. You came here after all these years and made it seem so much easier"  
"That's the ticket. I must say, I very pleased that I've aqquired a niece. All to myself"  
"Dearest Aunt Sarasim, I feel very happy about my Aunt"  
Then we kissed and clung together and I felt a wonderful sense of security crepting over me.

A great deal happened in the next two weeks. There was an auction of our furniture and we raised a great deal more than we had ever hoped, for among it was some of my mother's tresures from Wayne Manor. Afterward, Mel and Allison left fo Steel City, and the house was up for sale.  
Mt mother was taken to a nursing home in Devizes, which was not very far from Aunt Sarasim's house. So we could visit her at least once a week. Aunt Sarasim told me she had what was a tantamount to her own carriage.

"No more than a dogcart, really, and it belongs to old Jo, who does an hour ot so a week in out garden, and he'll take us where ever we want to go"  
Lavender House was up for sale. I took mt last look at Wayne Manor with no regrets, as I blamed it's proximity, with its continual reminders of losr granduer and 'better days', for my mother's condition; and I left with Aunt Sarasim for my new home in Gotham. 


End file.
